US Democracy and participation

Question 1

Which electoral system is used in the US for federal elections

Answer 1

FPTP

Question 2

Outline the process of becoming president

Answer 2

1Announcement/invisable primary- 12-18 months before election day. It is an intra party campaign - candidates from the same party campaign to establish themselves as viable candidate for the party’s presidential nominee
2 primaries and caucuses- take place at state level between February and June. Candidates from the same party compete against each other in a public vote to decide who will be the party’s presidential candidate
3 national party conventions- in July, they confirm each party’s nominee for the president and vice president and agree a party platform (manifesto)
4 the campaign between July and November the announced candidate from each party campaigns for the presidency
5 election day - Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Voters are not directly electing the president they are nominating the electors from their state to the electoral college to whose their states electoral college vote will go
6 electoral college - on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December
7 inauguration- 20th January of the following year president is sworn in and officially takes on the role

Question 3

What does the constitution state about the president

Answer 3

1 at least 35 years old
2 natural born US citizen
3 resident in US for more than 14 years
4 the 22nd amendment limits the president to 2 terms

Question 4

Why is the election of US president not a direct election

Answer 4

The people are not voting for the president but for electors from their state who elect the president on their behalf

Question 5

How does the electoral college work

Answer 5

1 each state is given a number of electoral college votes - total of 538 electoral college votes
2 number each state gets depends on their population - it is the same number as the senators plus the number of representitives the state has
3 on election day the electorate in each state are voting to decide which party their states eves will go to
4 in 48 states the party with the most votes gets all of that states evcs In Maine and Nebraska EVCs are allocated by district
5 to win a presidential candidate must achieve 270 EVCs - popular vote does not matter

Question 6

What is a rogue voter

Answer 6

Also known as a faithless elector is an elector who does not cast their EVC for the candidate their state voted for- illegal in 30 of th3 50 states

Question 7

Describe a case study of 2016 US election

Answer 7

Trump v Clinton on election day Trump gained 63 million votes 46% Clinton gained 66 million 48% but Trump won 30 states worth 306 EBCs whereas Clinton won 20 states worth 232 EVCs.
So even though Trump got fewer votes he was the winner

Question 8

There have been many debates about reforming the electoral process describe the advantages and disadvantages of each stage of the process

Answer 8

Invisible primaries
Advantages
1 identifies candidates able to gain enough support and money
2 allows for a range of candidates
3 candidates are scrutinised
Disadvantages
1 those able to raise the most money are not necessarily the best candidate
2 the length of the process can cause apathy

Primaries and Caucuses
Advantages
1 maintain federalism
2 allows intra party choice
3 caucuses allow for party involvement
4 more participation in open primaries and caucuses
Disadvantages
1 they can be sabotaged
2 low turnout in both
3 calendar effects the importance of the primaries which has led to front loading

National and Party Convenetions
Advantages
1 formally announce the party candidate
2 engage the party faithful
3 a poll bounce (gain in the poll ratings)
4 to coverage allows for national involvement
Disadvantages
1 increasingly president and vice candidates are already known as is the party platform
2 to coverage is being reduced to just acceptance speeches

Electoral college
Advantages
1 states with a small population are still important
2 decisive outcome
3 usually this rebuts in the winner gaining a majority of the popular vote
4 promotes a 2 party system
5 it works largely as the founding fathers intended

Disadvantages
1 complex. And recent problems have caused more apathy
2 the winner may not have a majority of the vote
3 the winner takes all nature of state electors mean the population is not adequately represented
4 swing states overly powerful
5 disadvantages third parties

Question 9

A candidate for presidency or congress is more likely to be successful if they are the incumbent. What is incumbent

Answer 9

The person already holding the office. In the last 11 elections the incumbent has won 8 times

Question 10

What are the advantages of being the incumbent

Answer 10

1 well known to voters and may have proved popular in first term
2 fundraising - incumbent does not have to worry as much about fundraising but their ability to fundraise is great
3 government control - as head of government and head of state the incumbent president is able to undertake vote winning behaviour in the run up to the election
4 Campaign experience - th incumbent candidate has already been through and won a campaign so should be more polished and rehearsed
5 single candidate - incumbent is usury unchallenged from their own party. The opposing party must go through public primaries where they expose each others weaknesses
6 risk aversion - American voters can sometimes be seen as unwilling to change
7 presumed success - given the history of incumbent success there is a belief the incumbent will be successful regardless of circumstances

Question 11

When was the first billion dollar presidential election campaign and what was total spend

Answer 11

2008 total spend per vote was $8 in 2012 each candidate raised more than a billion dollars each vote cost $20

Question 12

How is the money raised

Answer 12

There ate 527 groups who raise unlimited money for political activities but not specifically for or against a candidate

Question 13

What do political action committees do

Answer 13

PACs raise hard money to elect or defeat a specific candidate but are limited in their contribution to $5000 per candidate per election

Question 14

What are the rules for super PACs

Answer 14

They can raise unlimited money for political activities they can support or oppose a candidate but cannot organise this with the persons campaign organisation

Question 15

Out line 3 pieces of legislation around campaign finance

Answer 15

1 1974 federal election campaign act placed legal limits on campaign contributions
2 2002 bipartisan campaign reform act banned soft money
3 2010 a Supreme Court ruling which resulted in the development of super MACs

Question 16

Describe an election which bucked the trend that the candidate with the biggest war chest wins a campaign

Answer 16

2016 Clinton raised $1.4 billion Trump $957.6 million, it was calculated Trump gained $2 billion of free media to Clinton $746 million
So it can still be claimed the candidate who did raise most money won

Question 17

Why is campaign finance reform so hard

Answer 17

1 Supreme Court - by interpreting the constitution in citizens united vFEC the court has made it difficult to constitutionally limit campaign spending
2 politicians - those in a position to make change are often the ones who have benefitted from the current system in winning their seat
3 loopholes are constantly found - in addition to Supreme Court rulings the varying groups and types of spending are tactics to get around spending limits
4 federal election commission - the commission is continually gridlocked and fails to work in bipartisan manner meaning it struggles to enforce spending rules

Question 18

List potential campaign finance reforms

Answer 18

1 as trialled in Seattle a democracy voucher program with each voter having four $25 tax payer funded vouchers to give candidates
2 make don ar declarations more timely rather than every quarter which means some figures are not released until after the election
3 small donor matching funds making smaller donations more lucrative
4 remove campaign finance limits - although migh t allow further influence of the wealthy it allows a greater range of voices

Question 19

Why is electoral reform in the US used with reference to the electoral collage

Answer 19

The reform of just the system would have little impact without reforming the electoral collage

Question 20

What are the reasons for reform

Answer 20

1 swing states are given to much importance
2 the electoral college is outdated
3 rogue voters
4 small states are over represented
5 third parties are ignored
6 ther person who wins may not have a majority vote undermining their mandate

Question 21

What is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact NPVIC

Answer 21

This pact is an agreement between these states and the District of Columbia, stting that they will give their 163 electoral college votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the popular vote nationally rather than in their state

Question 22

List types of reform

Answer 22

1 abolish the electoral college and replace with a direct national vote- need a constitutional amendment
2 expand the NPVIC but this would be non enforceable due to the constitutional outline of the electoral college still being in place
3 apportion electors by district rather than by state so that’s safe states would be removed and the focus will be on districts instead

Question 23

Is reform necessary for the state

Answer 23

Yes
1 larger states are under represented
NO
1 the electoral college retains state power
2 it protects the voice of smaller states
3 it ensures all areas of a state have a role

Question 24

Is reform necessary for the people

Answer 24

YES
1 in the last 5 elections the popular vote has not been respected
NO
1 the electoral collage is in line with the constitutional principal of avoiding tyranny of the majority
2 the 2 party system encouraged by the electoral college usually gives the people choice

Question 25

Is reform necessary for the president

Answer 25

Yes
It encourages him to pay more attention to swing states
NO
A decisive and accepted outcome is usually the result

Question 26

Is reform necessary for the constitution

Answer 26

Yes
The electoral collage makes the constitution look outdated
No
The electoral collage does work as the founding fathers intended

Question 27

What are the similarities and difference between the US and UK electoral systems

Answer 27

Similarities
1 both use FPTP so the winner may not have an outright majority of the popular vote
2 both operate nationally on a 2 party system
3 the chances of reelection of the incumbent are high in both countries
4 the 2 party system is sustained by policy co optional in both countries where popular third party policies are stolen by the 2 main parties

Differences
1 the UK has direct election for their MPs only- the leader of the party with a majority of seats becomes PM. In US the voters vote both congress and the president
2 the elections at local and developed levels in UK involve more than 2 parties. The success of 3rd parties in. The US is limited
3 the role of campaign finance is far greater in the USA than UK
4 ther are greater number of electoral systems in use in the UK

Question 28

In UK and US there has been scandals regarding election funding. How can these electoral funding scandals be removed

Answer 28

Further the state funding of elections and parties and restrict outside cash influence

Question 29

What are the arguements for and against for the furthering of state funding elections and parties

Answer 29

FOR
1 would encourage purism over elitism
2 would be fairer for third parties
3 could reduce public apathy

AGAINST
1 would make parties less reliant in and less responsive to voters
2 could challenge party Independance

Question 30

What are the democratic and republican ideologies on social and moral issues such as abortion, same sex rights, the environment and crime

Answer 30

Democrats
1 more progressive attitude
2 more supportive of abortion access and same sex marriage
Republicans
1 more conservative attitude
2 large proportion of the party believe in the sanctity of life

Question 31

What ate the democratic and republican ideologies on economical issues such as tax, economy, bank regulations, minimum wage

Answer 31

Democrats
1 in favour of tax cuts but focus on lower and middle classes
2 accept government regulations as needed
3 call for a federal minimum wage
Republicans
1 in favour of tax cuts for all
2 favour minimal government intervention and regulations with the expeption of protecting US jobs and trade

Question 32

What are the democratic and republican ideologies on welfare eg health, education and pensions

Answer 32

Democrats
1 support healthcare as a right and sought to expand Obamacare
Republicans
1 and overturned Obamacare to be replaced with free market equivalent
2 strong preference for personal responsibility

Question 33

As the democrats and republicans have such broad ideologies each party can be seen as a collection of factions. What is a faction

Answer 33

1 factions in a party develop and change over time
2 it is acknowledged factions exist but party members would not say they were part of a faction

Question 34

List democratic factions

Answer 34

liberals
1 more left leaning members of the party
2 aim for government intervention to achieve social justice
3 favour provision of welfare
4support policies which are more socialist
Conservatives
1 socially conservative but fiscally liberal members
2 sometimes known as blue dogs
Moderates
1 willing to comprimise of welfare and fiscal policy
2 often supported by minority groups or blue collar workers
3 accept capitalism and current market order-

Question 35

List republican factions

Answer 35

Social conservative
1 favour traditional views on social and moral issues
2 generally are anti abortion, opposed to gay rights and anti immigration
3 emphasise law and order
4 often include members of the rebellious right
Moderate
1 fiscally conservative but socially liberal willing to accept advancements in gay rights and abortion
2 are sometimes known as republican in name only
Fiscal Conservatives
1 favour limited government intervention in the economy
2 argue for low tax and free trade
3 as seen in the freedom caucus of the party

Question 36

Describe party organisation in congress

Answer 36

1 congressional leaders - the leadership positions in congress are all held by partisan congressmen - the speaker and minority leader in the house, the majority and minority leaders in the senate
2 the whips - to try to control the discipline in the party, both parties employ whips. These are more powerful in the house than the senate due to individual importance of senators
3 congressional committees - each party has a committee which overseas policies it advances within congress. These are known as policy and steering committees
4 caucuses- these are groups within congress containing members that have shared interest. Some caucuses cut across party lines some are intra party such as the freedom caucuses and these can affect party policy

Question 37

What is the function of national organisation

Answer 37

The national committees for the democratic and republican parties are in charge of organising national party conventions

Question 38

What is the most importance element of party organisation

Answer 38

This happens at state level because the constitution gives the state the right to run their own elections

Question 39

What are the arguements for parties being in decline

Answer 39

1 presidential and vice presidential candidates are chosen without the national party
2 issue voting has grown in importance
3 fractions within parties seem to wield more power - parties are not united behind one ideological view
4 due to primaries and caucuses a party has little control over its candidate

Question 40

What are the arguements for party renewal

Answer 40

1 nationalised election campaigns means that the main parties are the only ones politically and financially capable of fighting an election
2 increasing political polarisation of the USA with liberals and conservatives becoming more entrenched in their ideologies has made parties more important
3 increasing partisanship evident in congressional voting patterns suggests that the party remains prominent
4 national parties still hold a nomination role especially with the democrats super delegates having a big influence at the national party conventions

Question 41

Describe the 2 party system in the USA

Answer 41

Most seats in government and most elections are won by democrats or republicans

Question 42

Why is the US a 2 party system

Answer 42

1 the use of FPTP encourages a 2 party system
2 the winner takes all nature of most states allocation of electoral college votes
3 the cooperation of third party policies means even when a third party has a promotable policy it is soon adopted by at least 1 of the major parties
4 the broad church ideology of US political parties
5 the electoral college encourages a 2 horse race
5 the federal nature of the USA - if there were 2 main parties for every state the result in congress could be a lack of majority and cause gridlock

Question 43

What is a unified government and a divided government

Answer 43

When one party holding the presidency. The house of representatives and the senate
When they are controlled by different parties it is known as a divided government

Question 44

In what ways is the US not a 2 party system

Answer 44

1 with each party being organised on a state basis the arguement could be made that neither the republicans or the democrats are truely 1 party
2 the breadth of both parties could mean that talking of 2 parties is inaccurate with the similarities being greater than their differences
3 third parties have had an increasing impact on US politics with their vote share tripling in 2016
4 some states are solidly democratic or republican making the situation within those states one party

Question 45

Explain the impact of FPTP

Answer 45

1 it is a plurality system - candidates have to gain the most votes in a district to win and not a majority
2 to gain plurality a candidate must gain considerable support in a district
3 when more than 2 parties run it splits the votes in a district between more parties meaning the amount needed to win is lower
4 the effect of this in UK and US is that it results in 2 party dominance even though third parties exist they rarely win

Question 46

Why can it be argued UK is a multi party system

Answer 46

Even though other parties are represented in Westminster they do not have a realistic chance of forming a government

Question 47

What is the impact of these third parties

Answer 47

Positive impact
The rise of UKIP had a huge impact on conservative manifesto in 2015
2 the role of opposition days and urgent questions in the House of Commons gives third parties a say

Negative impact
The size of republicans and democrats means their parties third parties have little impact of power in USA

Question 48

Compare Labour and republicans

Answer 48

Similarities
1 both favour minimum wage and workers rights
2 both favour higher government intervention in economy and welfare
Differences
Labour is more willing to increase taxes democrats accept but rarely want to advance tax

Question 49

Compare conservatives and republicans

Answer 49

Similarities
1 both dislike government intervention especially in the economy and welfare
2 both favour high levels of defence spending
Differences
1 conservatives have a more liberal view on many social issues than republicans including gay rights and environment
2 Republican Party has greater affiliation to religion than conservative does

Question 50

List the factions for each party

Answer 50

Labour - momentum, progress
Conservatives- thatcherites and 1933 committee
Democrats - progressive and blue dogs
Republicans - RINOs and freedom caucus

Question 51

Why are interest groups significant

Answer 51

1 parties are weak and this allows interest groups greater access by targeting factions within parties. Party weakness also means party policies are flexible and responsive to pressure groups
2increasing political apathy towards the main parties in the USA and increasing votes for third parties signify a shit to issue based voting
3 the constitution protects the rights of groups to exist but also gives them judicial recourse if their rights are challenged by Supreme Court
4 a large number of access points (a point at which groups can apply pressure to achieve change ) means greater choice and a chance for a group to gain influence
5 the federal nature of the USA means that groups can target change on a local level instead of worrying about m national politics

Question 52

Out line and explain 3 factors that affect group significance

Answer 52

1 group finances
Money is crucial to interest group success, may be used to hire lobbyists, launch advertising campaigns, or contribute to campaigns of congressional politicians sympathetic to their cause
2 group membership
Number of group members is important as the more members the more voters a congressional politician stands to gain by listening to you. Secondly more members means more chance to organise an event , protest or campaign
More members means more membership money
3 expertise
A group with expertise in their field is more likely to be able to offer useful reports and lobbying congress

Question 53

What is lobbying

Answer 53

Using persuasion to influence an individual or organisation

Question 54

Who are the individuals who lobby

Answer 54

Lobbyists

Question 55

Name a lobbyist and outline a case study

Answer 55

John Boehner
2 resigned from his role as the speaker of the house of representitives in 2015 in 2016 joined 6th biggest lobbyist firm

Question 56

Who lobbies

Answer 56

Lobbying can take place by firms on behalf of interest groups or by the interest groups themselves

Question 57

What are other tactics to gain influence

Answer 57

1 congressional report cards and funding - groups rate congressmen’s for the sympathy to their issue - a low rating means less funding or loss of voters
2 protest and demonstrations - these could be organised rally’s or action through petitions or websites
3 publicity and media - advertising campaigns to influence voters into contacting their congressional politician or changing their voting behaviour

Question 58

How are interest groups categorised

Answer 58

By their political philospphy

Question 59

Name 3 interest groups

Answer 59

Policy groups - try to influence a policy area
Professional groups - represent the interest of their members similar to unions
3 single issue groups try to influence on small specific area

Question 60

List and explain types of democracy

Answer 60

1 liberal democracy - places emphasis on the protection of rights , limited government and free and fair elections
2 representative democracy - places importance on the representations by elected officials
3 purist democracy - values the tolerance of views and wide dispersal of power
4 constitutional democracy - all or the systems and processes are laid out in a written constitution

Question 61

Assess interest groups impact on democracy

Answer 61

1 scrutinising government
A Interest groups scrutinise government decisions and protest them in their own interest
B successful outcome is a good result for the liberal democracy and dispersal of power for a pluralist democracy
but
A Changing the minds of those who have been elected on a platform could be seen as a negative arguement for representitive democracy
B Buying access through lobbying could be seen to contravene the idea of free and fair elections

2 Increasing representation
A the social make up of congress does not reflect society so interest groups can represent under represented groups
BUT
A this directly undermines representative democracy which places power in the hands of the elected, frequent elections in the US give plenty of chances to change the representative
B it can encourage a tyranny of the minority who’s is contrary to pluralist democracy

3 Encouraging participation
A interest groups allow the disaffected and apathetic to be involved in areas of politics which most interest them
BUT
Illegal participation is liberal and undermines democracy generally

Question 62

Do influence groups influence

Answer 62

Arguements for being influential
1 groups can submit reports to congress on proposed bills and may be asked to give evidence to a committee
2 groups can bring cases to Supreme Court
3 groups can do at money to campaigns and additions of super PACs allows almost limitless involvement
4 groups can arrange amicus curiae briefs for the Supreme Court
5 groups can rate congressional politicians and launch campaigns for or against them in their districts
6 there are a vast range of access points at local state and national level for a group to use
7 some interest groups have close relationships with current or former congressional politicians or their staff giving them insider access
8 groups can provide congress with expert information on their issues

Arguements for Lacking influence
1 it would be unusual for only one group to be involved in this manner so allocating influence is difficult
2 ultimately the Supreme Court decides which of the 8000 cases it receives it will hear
3 direct campaign contributions are limited and the groups can only access a limited choice of candidates
4 the Supreme Court is ultimately only allowed to make its decisions on the basis of the US constitution
5 the power of incumbency suggests such campaigns are of limited value
6 at national level while a group may find favour in one branch checks and balances mean this needs to be reciprocated for them to be successful
7 the number of interest groups with such access is limited in number
8 this wo;; be only one factor that congress considers especially in a system with a short election cycle

Question 63

Describe how lobbyist influence different branches

Answer 63

Congress
1 lobbying members of congress
2 giving evidence to committee
3 proposing legislation with a member of congress
4 electioneering

Presidency
1 lobbying
2 electioneering
3 iron triangles where a congressional committee, executive department and interest group all have similar aims and are more able to give them the power of this relationship

Supreme Court
1 amicus curiae briefs
2 protests outside of the court
3 taking a case to the Supreme Court
4 lobbying on Supreme Court vacancies

Question 64

Interest groups or pressure groups in UK exist in UK and US describe how their power methods and influence can vary

Answer 64

Power
Similarities
1 groups in both countries are able to access members of the executive and legislature through lobbying
2 free media in both countries means groups can buy advertising or use stunts to gain media attention
Differences
1 court cases are more commonly brought by interest groups in the US and supported by them in the UK
2 the size of the US makes a mass protest more complex than in the UK

Methods
Similarities
1 methods of groups in both countries are broadly similar
2 both look to support of current or former legislators as patrons for their group
3 both organise protests and demonstrations as a show of public support
4. Both can use lobbying to access government
5 both use media and advertising to create pressure and interest
Differences
1 US groups are more involved in elections that UK Common for US groups to rate their congressional politicians and advertises for or against their re election
2 it is more common for groups in US to give money to election campaigns

Influence
Similarities
1 interest groups in both countries give evidence to committees in the legislative branch
2 in both countries groups use the courts to exert influence on government
3 in both countries groups have more influence if they have more members and money
Difference
1 in Us groups have Supreme Court as the final court of appeal in UK groups can go to EJR or ECHR
2 judicial rulings in the UK can be ignored by government
3 a greater number of access points in the US means a greater chance of achieving influence

Question 65

Debate should the electoral college be reformed

Answer 65

Yes
1 in 2 of the last 6 presidential elections the winner of the popular vote has ost in the electoral college undermining modern principles of popular sovereignty
2 it effectively excluded third parties from the electoral process as the ECVs are not allocated proportionally and third party votes tend to be thinly spread across the nation
3 small state are over represented in the electoral college
4 the bellwether states are over represented as it is their vote that can change the election - so a majority of states are ignored throughout the election process as their result is more predictable
5 that faithless electors exist undermines the basic principles of democracy

NO
1 the electoral college ensures that small state remain represented. The US population is heavily concentrated in a few big states, the role and culture of smaller states could be ignored without the electoral college. Also allows different electoral procedures in each state
2 the electoral college guards against tyranny of the majority nationally.
3 there is no agreement on what should replace the electoral college
4 broadly the electoral college has produced clear winner -

Question 66

Is the presidential election process effective

Answer 66

Yes
1 the lengthy process ensures the candidates are resilient enough to withstand the demands of being president
2 the electoral college has produced a clear winner able to effectively govern
3 the primary calendar ensures the voice of smaller states is heard
4 the ability to attract large amounts of money speaks of the character and appeal of the candidate making them more suited to the job
5 the expectation of the acceptance speech at national party conventions and a good performance in TV debates highlights skills a president is expected to have
6 it works - controversies have been quickly overcome
7 third parties can have a role
8 primaries allow voters a choice

No
1 the electoral college has proven to be increasingly out of step with popular sovereignty
2 the primaries calendar disadvantages some state while over representing the views of others
3 the expected televised debates have little impact on the outcome of the election and are a side show
4 the national party convention now not tax payer funded serves little democratic purpose
5 the amount of money required to become president makes the process elitist
6 the amount of money required also gives influence to interest groups over the public voice
7 the length of the process creates apathy among voters which can Lower turnout and undermine legitimacy of the election
8 the variety of voting methods has been critised and caused contoversy over results
9 in terms of power third parties are excluded from the election with the entire process creating a 2 party system
10 increasingly the role of the media is more influential than money spent and it is mostly unregulated